


Falling into a Rhythm

by Niqi



Category: Ink (2009)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-11
Updated: 2017-01-11
Packaged: 2018-09-16 18:21:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9284174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Niqi/pseuds/Niqi
Summary: A short fic I wrote back in 2012. Jacob invites Allel on a pathfinding mission.





	

Jacob gets himself assigned to John. "Just in case he needs the shit shaken out of him again anytime soon," he says.

Allel starts off steering him through the house by his shoulders each night, until one night he reaches toward her. "That's my ass, jerk," she informs him.

"I was looking for your hand," Jacob says, and points to the X's over his eyes.

So Allel takes his hand, they walk side-by-side to John's room, and she lays his hand over John's forehead. Then she walks over to Emma's room and gives her dreams of being a famous actress or a fierce lioness. This is their routine. Sometimes, when Allel gets sentimental, Shelly is alive and back with Emma and John. Other times, she just creates happy dreams that center around Emma and John, so that Emma can wake up and happily realize it's her reality now.

Jacob goes on pathfinding missions sometimes. Someone else is assigned to John for the night, someone who doesn't need Allel's guidance. Maybe once or twice when she's running low on ideas and sort of missing the weight of Jacob's hand in hers, Allel gives Emma dreams about a strange man with X's over his eyes who can alter the course of a life with a little music box and his chain reactions.

One night, when they've finished their jobs, Jacob says, "I've got a pathfinding mission in the morning. Wanna come?"

"Me?" Allel asks.

Before she can add anything else, Jacob says in a completely serious tone, "No, no, the one behind you." He pauses for a beat and then bursts out laughing. "Yes you, mighty warrior."

"I thought I was a priss," Allel says, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"Ooh. Never let go of a grudge, do you?" Jacob says. "That was a test, I know how you performed when John needed to get to Emma, etcetera, etcetera and so on. You really are a mighty warrior, and we need mighty warriors tomorrow."

Allel nods, realizes the pointlessness of her action, and says, "Alright, I'll come."

And so at dawn, Allel and a few others watch as Jacob creates another chain reaction as though he's orchestrating a symphony. The result is that a woman is forced to stop for a second, and that one second is all she needs to hesitate and turn back instead of continuing to the bridge where she would have committed suicide and, in all likelihood, fallen to the Incubi.

"Keep your face exactly as it is," Jacob says, pointing behind him slightly to the left of Allel. He turns back after a moment and explores her face with his fingers. "Knew it. Expression of awe," he says, and grins. "Was it like this last time? I bet it was even more awed. Should've thought to do this then."

Allel gives him a light shove and he drops his hands. "Cocky bastard," she says, though she's grinning too.

A moment later, Jacob's face is serious again. "We've still got work to do," he says, and Jacob and the warriors take off after the woman, who's headed back to a house infested with Incubi.

At first Allel thinks Jacob is going to be a liability, as he can't very well fight while blind. "You should stay behind," she tells him.

"Not a chance, priss," Jacob says, which gets her annoyed enough at him that fine, he can go in and face the Incubi and get his ass kicked if he wants to.

Then they reach the house.

Watching Jacob fight is something else. She only catches the beginning of his fight, when she's still worried that he won't be able to hold his own, but that's enough to put a look of awe on her face that would please him. Facing toward an opponent is not even a going concern for him, he just lashes out and ducks and moves with a precision that makes her think he doesn't even need to hold her hand to navigate John's house. A lot of his style focuses on taking opponents by surprise and using their own momentum against them. She feels a surge of pride watching him, and she's able to turn away and fully concentrate on waging her own battle against her share of Incubi.

They win the battle. Allel finds Jacob and slides down the wall onto the floor next to him. "That was awesome," she says.

"Thanks. I'll assume you were too," Jacob says, smiling.

"I said 'that,' not 'you,'" Allel says.

"Iiiiin reference to my fighting," Jacob says.

"Could've been talking about the fight itself," Allel says.

"But you weren't."

Allel gives a breathy laugh and Jacob laughs too - quietly, instead of his usual explosive laughter.

"Are you badly hurt?" Jacob asks.

"No," Allel says. "You?"

"Nope. Your lips fine?"

"Yeah, wh -" And before she can even finish the word Jacob is kissing her, his left hand gently caressing the side of her face. She's startled for a second, and then, oh fuck it, she kisses him back.

There's silence for a moment after the kiss ends, and then Allel says, "I'm glad you started that, because if I had to do it, the new levels of cockiness you'd've reached would've been terrifying."

Jacob gives her a smile that's more real than any of the other smiles she's seen from him, small and lopsided and a bit shy. "I'll see you tonight, then?" he asks.

"As always," Allel says, and that night they walk into the house hand-in-hand, standing just a bit closer.


End file.
